Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Sri Lanka on Thursday and Friday on a visit which a senior official has said will boost bilateral relations.
Modi will be the Chief Guest at the UN-recognised 14th International Vesak Day meant to mark the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha.
The visit follows the invitation of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena. It will be Modi's second trip to Sri Lanka as Prime Minister after March 2015.
In a pre-departure media briefing here, Sanjay Panda, Joint Secretary (Indian Ocean Region) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said that this is the first time that Sri Lanka will be hosting the International Vesak Day celebrations.
"The theme of the event is Buddhist teachings for social justice and sustainable world peace," Panda said.
He said that various religious and political leaders from various countries, especially those with Buddhist traditions, have been invited for this celebration.
"The Prime Minister's visit to Sri Lanka for the Vesak Day celebration assumes significance because this is a reflection of our shared Buddhist heritage which is spanning over centuries," he said.
As part of the celebration, Modi will participate in a lamp lighting ceremony at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, one of the most important temples in Sri Lanka.
Modi will also pray at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic at Kandy in central Sri Lanka. The golden-roofed Kandy temple houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic -- a tooth of Lord Buddha.
In Pallekelle, Modi will unveil a plaque commemorating the foundation laying of the Faculty of Kandyan Dance at the Sri Lankan International Buddhist Academy that will be constructed with India's grant assistance.
Modi will also open an India-funded 150-bed multi-speciality hospital in the central hill district which is home to Tamil tea plantation workers of Indian origin.
"This project is part of our development cooperation project since 2005 in which over $2.6 billion has been committed out of which $450 million have been grants," Panda said.
He also said that as part of the Vesak Day celebration, acclaimed Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik will make the world's longest Buddha statue at a special Vesak zone near the Sri Lankan parliament.
"India is also participating at an International Buddhist Film Festival which is being organised on the sidelines," Panda said.
He said that thousands of handcrafted candles made from paraffin wax and produced at the world's oldest refinery at Digboi in Assam have been gifted to Sri Lankan Buddhist temples and this has come in for much appreciation from people there.
Although no bilateral talks are scheduled, Panda said the visit was expected to give renewed momentum in India-Sri Lanka ties.
Last month, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited India.
--IANS
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